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Hang in there. I am 3 months out and I've had one stall last a full 3 weeks and 2 others last about 1.5- 2 weeks. It stinks, but it will eventually break. My weight goes up and down by 1 or 2 pounds around these stalls too. Don't sweat it and just keep going. I agree about not doing intermittent fasting. I don't think you need to.

What a journey it has been lately. I’ve gained nearly ten pounds in two weeks...slowly creeping up to a number I fear. At 5’1” I’m now 272 pounds, BMI 52.4. I originally was diagnosed with multiple right upper lobe PEs on 4/16. I was not originally admitted, just sent home on Xarelto. Fast forward to last week, I was admitted for a few days on the cardiology floor for a work up due to a return of symptoms. No new clots, but was diagnosed with Right Ventricle enlargement and Pulmonary Hypertension via a right heart cath. Got discharged, saw pulmonology yesterday, did a walk test, scheduled to come back for PFTs. Last night was feeling worse, high Hr and BP, severe headache, re admitted. Had some basic labs and tests today, they felt comfortable discharging me. Got home an hour ago, started feeling short of breath, dizzy, nauseous again. Checked BP and it’s really high. Going to rest a bit and re check. Don’t want to end up back in the hospital. So exhausted...sick of my weight slowly killing me. I have my initial consults with my Bariatric Surgeon, nutritionist and exercise specialist on Monday (it just got scheduled today) so there’s the beginning of a light, but I’m exhausted. Please pray my BP comes down and I don’t end up back at the hospital.

What a journey it has been lately. I’ve gained nearly ten pounds in two weeks...slowly creeping up to a number I fear. At 5’1” I’m now 272 pounds, BMI 52.4. I originally was diagnosed with multiple right upper lobe PEs on 4/16. I was not originally admitted, just sent home on Xarelto. Fast forward to last week, I was admitted for a few days on the cardiology floor for a work up due to a return of symptoms. No new clots, but was diagnosed with Right Ventricle enlargement and Pulmonary Hypertension via a right heart cath. Got discharged, saw pulmonology yesterday, did a walk test, scheduled to come back for PFTs. Last night was feeling worse, high Hr and BP, severe headache, re admitted. Had some basic labs and tests today, they felt comfortable discharging me. Got home an hour ago, started feeling short of breath, dizzy, nauseous again. Checked BP and it’s really high. Going to rest a bit and re check. Don’t want to end up back in the hospital. So exhausted...sick of my weight slowly killing me. I have my initial consults with my Bariatric Surgeon, nutritionist and exercise specialist on Monday (it just got scheduled today) so there’s the beginning of a light, but I’m exhausted. Please pray my BP comes down and I don’t end up back at the hospital.

The problem with traditional dieting is that after you've lost weight, your body literally fights you to the death to put it back on. This has been scientifically proven. I'm sure this has something to do with the fact that humans have evolved to survive in a feast and famine environment throughout 99% of our history. Nowadays, the feast never ends. This is a relatively new phenomenon, and our bodies haven't had time to catch up yet from an evolutionary perspective. It's the reason why the lasting success rates of programs like Weight Watchers, etc are incredibly low. I believe the weight gain relapse odds plummet after two years of keeping the weight off. Most people don't have that much willpower. The only program besides surgery that I've seen truly work is Overeaters Anonymous, and that's for the people who truly work it. This generally means meetings multiple times a week, step work with a sponsor, service work, etc. It's a complete psychological and lifestyle change. Give it another shot if you want, but one thing I'd say is to trust your track record rather than your emotions. It sounds like you've been dieting on and off forever. What'll make this time any different? If nothing changes, nothing changes. I don't think anyone here wanted to have surgery. We did it because we were at our wits end. As for the people in your life who're telling you not to do it, ask yourself how much they really know about it. Like I used to, they probably think it's only for people big enough to be on TLC, super drastic, etc. It's really not, and frankly, I don't think anyone really needs a football sized stomach that produces tons of ghrelin in this day in age. It sounds like you've done a lot of research on the matter. You have a well-informed opinion, which means that you can disregard ones that aren't well-informed. A calculus student probably wouldn't take an algebra student seriously if the algebra student looked over his work and told him that it was all wrong. Btw, staying obese is generally far riskier than bariatric surgery. Diabetes, clogged arteries, high blood pressure, etc versus some very minor surgery risks. I don't know what your personal health situation is, so take what I just said with a grain of salt, but if a decent surgeon looks you over and says you're good to go, you're probably good to go.

Also, I meant to also say - does your practice have a nutritionist? If so, you may want to ask them about additional guidance. They can be really helpful in figuring out if you are on track for calories, etc. Initially (the first couple of months) my practice did not give calorie goals, but in my nutrition check ins, we did touch base on how many calories I was eating. That was really helpful, especially since I was undereating relative to what they wanted. I wouldn't overthink this. If you go back in 3 months and you aren't where you "should" be, you won't get demerits. 🙂 Your body will do what it wants, when it wants. Stalls and slow downs are normal and to be expected in this process. It is very easy to make yourself nuts overthinking and stressing about whether you are hitting all the milestones and expectations. In the end, does it matter if you get to the destination? Probably not. (I say all this while in the middle of a frustrating 4 week stall. It's hard to do, but try not to stress, it doesn't help!) Good luck.

28 lbs in 6 weeks is more than 4 lbs a week. That's nothing to be upset about. Weight loss is fast initially, partly because you tend to lose a lot of water weight and you are do restricted initially as you recover from surgery. It will probably slow down as the months pass, but again, this isn't a race. If you get to 6 months and you haven't lost "most of the weight" it's not as if there is a magic switch that is flipped and you stop losing weight. Many people lose weight steadily for 18 months and beyond, though it slows down as you get closer to your goal weight. Excess weight is what you started at minus what you should be at, and most use the BMI as the guide for that. So, if you are 5 ft 1 inch, your healthy range is 98-132 lbs. Excess weight should be 238 (start weight at surgery) minus 132 (top of healthy range). So, your excess weight would around 106 lbs. I think the literature I read suggested the average lost in the first 6 months is around 30-40% of your excess weight, which would be 106 lb x 30% = 31.8 lbs, but I am not sure how accurate that percentage is. Again, these are rough numbers and the averages are just that - averages. Many people do better than this in 6 months. Some do worse. Some people lose "slowly" throughout and get to goal and beyond, while some people might lose fast initially and then not get to goal. Basically, no one can predict how it will go, including the surgeons.

End of a stall here too - thank goodness, it's boring as heck. I can't say anything made the difference in the end - just kept keeping on. I do wonder whether the people who say that increasing protein or increasing exercise or increasing water 'broke' their stall were just distracting themselves with those things and the stall was going to break anyway, but then swear they were THE reason??

So glad you're through everything and back here already SD! Are you home again? I also lost 5lbs on the day of surgery but it was a full 2 weeks before I lost anything more. So weird how different it is for everyone.

You are dealing with a lot all at once. Definitely not a baby. Pain, gas, lack of sleep and the horrid protein drinks. Your hormones are on red alert too. I could have cried every day. I personally didn't have protein drinks, just milk with extra dried milk powder in. Just be kind to yourself, rest, relax and let healing begin. The first week is the hardest. I hope you can forgive yourself a little weakness. No body else needs to know, just us honest.

I feel my surgeon has abandoned me. My next visit with her isn’t until 3 months post-op. My only goals we set are to drink 64oz of liquids and 60 grams of protein daily. She said MOST of my excess weight will be lost in the first 6 months, so to stay focus and take advantage of the surgery. I don’t know how much MOST of my excess weight is, so I don’t know if I’m losing at the correct rate. I don’t know if I am eating too much or too little. I’m just listening to my body. If I’m hungry, I eat. If I am full. I stop. The only food restrictions I have are raw veggies and steak. Other than that, she told me to “listen to my body and if it hurts, stop and try again at a later time” . I had surgery 3/21 so that makes me a little over 6 weeks post-op. I started at 245 and was not required to follow the 2 week diet. I was only told not to eat solids the day before surgery. Day of surgery I weighed 238. Today I weigh 210. That’s only a 28lb lost in 6 weeks. I’m 5’1” so I still have a lot to lose. I’ve been at 210 for a week now so I think I’ve hit a stall. I’m losing and I feel great; so I am happy , but I don’t want her to be disappointed at 3 months if I am not at the weight she’s expecting me to be at (whatever that might be). I don’t know if I’m doing this right. Some days I feel so great and able to move that It seems too easy. just rolling over in bed use to get me so tired. I am wondering if I should go “harder”. How much was everyone else down by 6 weeks?

Yes! I am still running and I have been working on increasing speed over time. I did my first official race last weekend and finished the 5k in 28 minutes, which is fast for me. Now I am working to increase distance- my goal is to compete in a half marathon next year. I run on average about 15 miles or so every week, in addition to my daily spin classes.

It will seem like it takes forever but it will be here before you know it, I had my 1st appointment in November 2021 and my surgery is next week. It still feels unreal.

So guys. HOW did I lose 5 pounds in 1 day??? I mean, I was expecting to be a little heavier because of all the fluids from the IV for 2 days, but instead, I'm actually down 5 pounds??? I'm not knocking it, of course, but it caught me off guard lol I'll be weighing myself once a week. I refuse to do daily weigh ins and get upset when it fluctuates a pound or so either way. I've been struggling with gas pain, and thanks to the great suggestions, my husband went out and got me a heating pad and it's starting to help. Also having pain from the incisions, but I was already expecting that. And the PAIN from taking my pills was the worst of all. BUT, I started taking them with warm broth and it's been a game changer. Still takes me almost an hour to take them since I get full really fast, but at least it's pain free taking them now.

So I just had my consult for my sleep study and I will have that in a couple of weeks. Then on the 31st I have my scope. I just feel things are taking so long in the process. I really hope that after my scope it's not too long after they schedule my surgery. Started this process the end of January. Sent from my SM-S908U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I’m a few weeks shy of being a year out from my surgery and I dealing with arthritis pain and tmj. Everything I’m reading says I can’t use voltaren cream for my arthritis. Will we ever be able to use some form of nsaids for certain medical conditions? Some things I read say some can be used some time after vsg (def not recommended within the first 30 days) but then even more studies say never again. the tmj I’m dealing with so far without medication. sorry just had a moment of blah.

Stalls can last about a month sometimes - the closer you get to a "normal" weight, the longer the stalls get. Many people think that they will lose 40 lbs in the first month like the people on My 600 Lb Life. Well, unless you start out weighing 600 lbs, you won't lose 40 lbs in a month. The amount of weight you will lose in a given amount of time varies a lot, based on age, BMI, gender, how much weight you lost before surgery, etc. I started out with a BMI of 40ish at surgery, but I had already lost 50 lbs. Since my surgery, I've lost about 4-12 lbs every month.

Thank you so much for your reply I wasn't made aware that the stall might remain that long or that it even exist What is realistic expectations? I am sure this will help to know Again thank you

You've lost 28 lbs in 7 weeks!!! That's FOUR POUNDS A WEEK! That's huge. You only lose super quickly at the very beginning because of water weight. After that its slows down, and you will have some stalls; that's normal and unavoidable. You did not really gain weight - your weight can go up a pound or two due to water weight, constipation, salty food, etc. The latest research on intermittent fasting is that it doesn't work, so you might read up on that - a brand new, well done study just came out. Hang in there... try to have realistic expectations!

Hello! Thank you all for allowing me in the group🥰 I just had a consultation and I barely qualify for the sleeve but I do! Yay! I'm 5'6 194 lbs. A few questions: I heard going out of the country is cheaper - anyone go out of the country for the surgery? Like, Mexico. I'm in Florida. How did it turn it? I was not comfortable going out of the country, but my insurance covered it, so that was even cheaper than going to Mexico. I know many people who have been happy with their results in Mexico, but I know one person who felt that she needed more care than she got, plus I know that some people go there when they are not approved in the US, and they may not be as careful about turning people down in Mexico. What's the pros and cons I should be aware of? Pros: you will most likely lose a good amount of weight. You MAY see improvement in certain health conditions. You will be able to fit in smaller clothes. You MAY be able to me more active. If you lose weight, people will be nicer to you (sick, but true!) Cons: This is major surgery, and while the chance of a bad outcome is VERY SMALL, there is still some risk. Losing weight will not make you a completely different person - most of your problems will be the same, but you won't be able to use food to cope with them anymore. You will need to take a multi-vitamin every day for the rest of your life, and if you're like me, the multi-vitamin may make you throw up. You may lose some of your hair for a few months I've heard so many horror stories ie people throwing up, not being able to ever eat "normal" again, higher risk for cancer, etc etc etc. I've been doing research but id love to hear yalls thoughts since i know you're live ppl I can actually communicate with😊 I threw up once because the food was too dry (3 weeks after surgery). About once every two weeks I throw up from my multi-vitamin. I've tried three different brands, but it sucks. The only way you could be at a higher risk for cancer I can think of is if you have really bad GERD after sleeve, develop Barrett's esophagus, and this becomes cancer. However, if you get really bad GERD after sleeve, you could have a revision to bypass. Many forms of cancer have higher rates in people who are obese, so it's likely your risk of cancer will go down if you have surgery and lose weight. I eat more "normally" now than before surgery. Before surgery my portions were WAY TOO BIG and I was eating unhealthy food too often. Now I eat a more normal sized portion and less junk food. The only things I can't really eat easily are lettuce and rice, and those are getting easier. Thanks a bunch!

Hi I am 7 weeks in after gastric sleeve- Till the week I started eating solid food at 5 weeks I was losing between 0.5 to 1 pound a day Then it started getting lower till it stalled 10 days ago and I actually gained 2 pounds over the last 10 days - I had taken water pills a couple of times as I noticed swelling around my ankles so I am not sure if the gain back is a result of that My calories intake are between 900 and 1100- Carbs are low- I do more proteins as needed- drink water sometimes 64 ounce sometimes 60 ounces- I workout 3 times/ week now I walk every day I also do intermittent fast 13/11 everyday I am getting very frustrated almost regretting the decision of the surgery as I historically lost more weight on diets the problem was that I always regained the weight I lost 35 pounds since I started and 28 pounds since the day of the surgery Any thoughts? Thank you

I would have been fine to sit in a theatre at two weeks out, but some people do have diarrhea, so be aware of that. Constipation is much more common. Make sure you bring a bottle of water so you don't get dehydrated. Maybe allow yourself extra time for getting to the train and getting from the train to the theatre in case walking makes you tired, or your incisions are sore. It sounds wonderful!

If you're only eating 950 calories but you're lifting weights and doing treadmill, it's likely you need to eat more. Or, make sure the food you are eating during the day is high quality and likely to keep you full - protein, fiber, and fat. As long as you're in a calorie deficit, you will lose weight, though the rate varies and there are always stalls, no matter how few calories you eat... and if you eat too few calories, you may slow down your weight loss. The other thing to consider is drinking things like coffee/tea that have caffeine which can reduce hunger. Or milk, which can help you feel full. Raw non-starchy veggies could be a good option when you just want to munch on something.

I did pay a consult fee for my two appointments. One was $100 and one was $150. I did feel like both surgeons spent a good amount of time with me so I felt the money was appropriate, in the sense that I was paying for their time. Maybe it’s not as normal and I didn’t realize. If you are interested in a potential drive I’m booked with Dr Streu in pdx for August. I was impressed with her and the facility. In discussing specifics I also feel like the amount of OR time required for the three procedures indicates that she’s a relatively quick surgeon which is important to me. We will see how I feel in September anyway!

Hi. I had surgery on 21-March. I was on my treadmill 3 days later, walking slowly but am back up to jogging or walking fast depending on daily motivation. I was cleared on Monday to start lifting weights (light <25lbs for the next two weeks and then I can increase) again, which I started, also on Monday. I feel great, but oh boy am I hungry - which I was expecting. I'm eating about 950 calories a day, but I'd be lying if I said my stomach isn't growling at days end and when I wake up. I eat 6 small meals a day, protein is around 80g/day and I drink about 100-110 oz of water daily. I am seriously scared to bump my calories to support the weight training. Has anyone begun weight training early on with their cardio? If so, how did you combat the hunger? My nutritionist said to increase my calories by 200 and I want to but I'm seriously so nervous I'm going to stall. I'm down 30ish pounds and have another 50 to go...

One week and I will be on my way to Mexicali Bariatrics in Mexicali MX. May 13 surgery. Anyone going to this site?